


Loving You Is More Than Enough

by archangelwithashotgun



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, But they're like 17 or something here, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, High School AU, Hurt/Comfort, Kings of Con Big Bang 2017, M/M, Miscommunication, Requited Unrequited Love, Richard dates Briana for like a second, Underage Kissing, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 07:25:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12576672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archangelwithashotgun/pseuds/archangelwithashotgun
Summary: Rob was perfectly okay with loving Richard from afar. He was okay with being Richard’s best friend, the one who got Richard pumped up for dates with people that weren’t him, the one who held Richard through heartache after breakups, the one who watched Richard choose someone else time and time again.Rob was okay with it.Really.[Written for the Kings of Con 2017 Big Bang]





	Loving You Is More Than Enough

**Author's Note:**

> There's something artwork that was done for this fic! Check it out with the link below!
> 
> https://emmatheslayer.livejournal.com/460690.html
> 
> Title is inspired by the lyrics of Gabe Simon's song "The Sweetest Sound."

“Robbie! What do you think for tonight: the purple or the red?”

Rob bit back a sigh and glanced up from the page of  _Wuthering Heights_  he had been blankly staring at for the last five minutes. Richard stood before him at the edge of the bed, holding up a purple and red shirt in each hand, and regarding Rob with a curious frown as he awaited Rob’s decision.

Disregarding his literature assignment for the time being, Rob gently nibbled on his lip and looked at each shirt carefully, trying his best to force the heat of a blush off his cheeks as he imagined Richard in each shirt.

God, but Richard would look positively  _delicious_  in the red; passionate and smoldering, threatening to consume Rob in its fire. But Rob’s eyes trailed back over to the purple shirt and he paused, his teeth digging deeper into his bottom lip. He’d always had a fondness for the way purple looked on Richard, accentuating the molten gold of his eyes…

“Go with the purple,” Rob suggested with a firm nod. “You, uh, you always look nice in purple.”

_Smooth, Rob. Real smooth._

Richard lit up and nodded, tossing the red shirt back onto his desk. “Thanks, man. Also, thanks for coming over today. I really needed your help.”

Rob dismissed the gratitude with a small shrug, smiling warmly at his best friend. “What are best friends for?”

“Yeah, well, you’re definitely the best,” Richard grinned.

Richard reached up to slip his current black shirt over his head, and Rob had a split-second where he caught the firm expanse of Richard’s back, lightly contracting with his movements as he moved to put on the purple shirt, the softness of his belly tempting and mouth-watering, before he forced his attention back to  _Wuthering Heights_  with a deep, quiet breath.

_Come on, Robbie,_  he thought to himself, turning to where he last remembered leaving off.  _Focus on the reading._  And he began to read once more:

‘—so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am.  Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same—‘

_Oh, what the fuck is the point?!_

Rob scowled heavily at the text and refrained from slamming the book shut, though he did close it firmly and pushed it across the mattress as if it offended him. Which it did, as much as a book could offend.

“Hey, Robbie?”

The soft, uncertain tone in Richard’s voice wrenched Rob out of his angry musings and he turned to his best friend. Richard had put the purple shirt on and was in the process of buttoning it up. He was staring at his fingers, making it difficult to truly see his expression, but Rob could see the corners of Richard’s lips turned downward into a frown.

“Yeah, buddy?” Rob asked, shifting so that he was fully facing Richard, giving him his full attention. “What’s up?”

Richard looked up, leaving the top button undone (and Rob internally hyperventilating) as he dropped his hands from his shirt and smiled grimly at Rob.

“There’s nothing wrong with me, right?”

Rob froze, blinking in shock at the completely unexpected question. “ _What_? Where is this coming from, Rich?” he asked, straightening up in the bed.

Richard shrugged, rubbing the nape of his neck. “I don’t know, just… This is the fourth date I’ve gone on this year, and I’ve lost track of how many dates I’ve been on since high school started—“

_Thirty-seven,_  Rob’s mind supplied helpfully.

“—so I guess I just…” Richard blew out a hard, frustrated breath here, “I just want to know why none of them  _stuck_ , why none of them really worked out. Is there something wrong with me that people have such a big problem with that they can’t just  _stay_  with me?”

Rob’s heart just about shattered at the thinly-covered pain coating Richard’s voice.

“No.  _No_ , absolutely not,” Rob said, carefully crawling out of the bed and standing in front of Richard. “God, Rich… There is  _nothing_ wrong with you, bud. Nothing.”

Richard scoffed lightly, his saddened smile turning wry. “You sound so sure.”

“I am sure,” Rob nodded, curling his hands over Richard’s shoulders and offering an affectionate squeeze. “Yeah, you’ve been on a lot of dates, and they haven’t really worked out. That’s not your fault; you are amazing the way you are, and if they didn’t see that the first time, then they missed out on someone incredible. That’s on them, not you.”

Rob slid his hands down to the collar of Richard’s shirt, absently adjusting it. “Take it from me. I’m your best friend, and I’m always right.”

Richard snorted and reached up to wrap his fingers around Rob’s wrists, a genuine smile stretching across his face, so luminous and beautiful that Rob almost physically melted at the sight.

“Thanks, Rob,” Richard said sincerely.

Rob’s smile tightened, and he gave Richard’s shoulders one last squeeze before dropping his hands. “Of course, Rich. What time was your date tonight?”

“In about a half hour,” Richard said, nodding his confirmation after quickly consulting his watch.

“Alright, you better get going,” Rob said, reaching over to swipe  _Wuthering Heights_  from the bed, “and I’ll be heading out as well. I haven’t started the assignment Sheppard assigned us.”

“Oh shit, better get on that!” Richard chuckled, turning to face his mirror, swiping his fingers through his hair.

“Did  _you_  even start on it yet?”

The finger that Richard tossed back at him through the mirror was answer enough, and Rob burst into laughter as he headed toward the door. “I’ll talk to you later, Rich.”

“Cool, and hey, I’ll text you later, alright?” Richard called over his shoulder.

“Alright, later!” Rob answered, and stepped out of Richard’s room.

In the relative safety of the darkened hallway, Rob allowed for his expression to falter under the strain of the happy façade he’d had to maintain. His heart fell deeper in his chest, thrumming out hot pulses of pain throughout his veins, and his lungs trembled with each calming breath he tried to take as he continued downstairs.

There was nothing wrong with Richard. Rob knew that for certain. Granted, Richard had his imperfections like any individual did, but if anything, those imperfections were what made Rob fall so damn hard for him. Forget finding fault with Richard.

But, Rob considered as he let himself out of Richard’s house with a quick farewell to his mom, perhaps there was something wrong with  _him_. Something noticeable and irreparable.

Because why else would Richard be so willing to go on dates with these other people, and not him?

::

“Hey, I’m home!” Rob announced as he entered his house, shutting the door behind him and toeing off his shoes.

“Well, that was fast,” called a voice from the kitchen, and Amy appeared around the corner, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “I thought you’d be over there a little longer. Were you and Rich studying?” She nodded towards the book in Rob’s hand.

“Nah, not really. Rich just needed some help getting ready for a date he’s going on tonight,” Rob shrugging, shoving his shoes over to the wall.

Amy blinked. “You okay?”

Rob looked up at her, his eyebrows sliding together. “What? Yeah, why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Hm. No reason,” Amy answered, though a sad smile appeared on her face before she turned and stepped back into the kitchen.

Rob pressed his lips together and headed toward the stairs up to his room, ignoring the sinking feeling that began to pull at his stomach at the smile Amy offered him. He was pretty sure that Amy knew of his feelings for Richard, even though he liked to pretend that she didn’t to make it easier; his sister always had a knack for knowing exactly what was bothering him. They never brought it up and they never talked about it, but Amy’s secure presence at home provided a small comfort for Rob, always there in case the day came when he needed to talk to someone. Perhaps he’d take her up on her offer one day.

A long sigh escaped Rob’s lips as he entered his room. He tossed  _Wuthering Heights_  onto his desk, abandoning it for his guitar propped on its stand. He had lied to Richard earlier; he had already read the book before and completed the paper the day Sheppard assigned it. Rob just needed something to distract him, something he could focus on, so he wouldn’t be caught shamelessly staring at Richard and his gorgeous body as he got ready for his date with Briana Buckmaster today.

Briana. Rob had to admit, she was definitely a beautiful girl; sweet-faced and blonde, Briana had an engaging personality, a wonderful flair of witty and sharp that complimented her bubbly nature. She was a mutual friend of his and Richard’s, and as much as he adored her, Rob couldn’t help but hate her just a little – maybe a lot – for going on a date with Richard tonight.

Rob dug his fingers into his eyes, rubbing them wearily.

“C’mon, stop. You gotta stop,” Rob whispered to himself. “He’s not interested in you. He’s going out with Briana tonight. Stop thinking about him. Stop thinking.”

With a hard breath, Rob dropped his hands from his face and reached for his guitar. When all else failed, music was always his sanctuary. He slid his guitar into his lap as he sat down on his bed and strummed his fingers carefully down the strings. Satisfied with the tuning, he softly began to play.

Rob wasn’t sure exactly how long he’d been in his room, completely immersed in how he was playing through song after song, when Amy suddenly appeared in his doorway. The soft knock on the frame wrenched Rob out of his zone, and he glanced up with startled eyes toward his sister.

“Amy, what’s up?” he asked, shifting a little on his bed to face her better. “Everything okay?”

She shrugged lightly in response and shoved her hands inside her pockets, leaning against the doorframe. “I should be asking you that right now.”

Rob paused and set his jaw. He averted his gaze back toward his guitar, lightly stroking his fingers along the side. “I already told you; everything is fine.”

“But it’s not,” Amy said quietly, slowly stepping into the room. “Rich may be your best friend, but I’m your sister, and I know that him going on a date tonight is seriously bugging the hell out of you.”

Rob cleared his throat and shuffled back a little on his bed. “I’m fine.”

“Rob,” Amy sighed, walking over to settle at the edge of Rob’s mattress.

“Look, it’s his life,” Rob said defensively, looking back up at Amy. This was it; there was no more pretending with Amy, and if Rob were being perfectly honest with himself, the opportunity to finally vent to his sister and release all the frustration he felt about this entire thing was starting to look like a pretty damn good option. “He can go out with whoever he wants.”

“But you want him to be going out with  _you_.”

It was said so bluntly, so frank and genuine, that Rob faltered. He tightened his jaw and swallowed hard, giving a tiny shrug. “Maybe, maybe I do. It doesn’t matter. He never expressed any interest in going out with me.”

“Ugh, you’re such an idiot!” Amy exclaimed with a huff, lightly slapping both palms to Rob’s mattress. “That’s because you don’t let him  _know_  that you want to be with him!”

Rob blinked at his sister, and then he shook his head. “It’s not a matter of letting him know. It’s a matter of knowing that he wants nothing to do with me in that way.”

“Oh my God,” Amy whispered, clicking her tongue. “Rob, you are aware that Rich is completely in love with you, right?”

Heart stuttering wildly in his chest, Rob clenched his jaw tighter and once again shook his head. “He’s not.”

“He totally is!” Amy said earnestly. “Rob, you seriously haven’t paid attention to how he looks at you, how he sounds when he talks to you? It’s kind of gross.”

Completely baffled as he was by Amy’s far-fetched declaration, Rob could not help the bewildered laugh that bubbled out of his lips. “What are you talking about? You’re making shit up.”

“I’m not,” Amy insisted. She lifted her legs and folded them on top of the mattress, the bed lightly bouncing as she turned toward Rob. “You’re blind to it, but it’s true.”

“No. No, I don’t believe that.”

“He has feelings for you!”

“Well, if that’s the case, then why date other people?”

“Because he thinks  _you_  don’t see  _him_  that way!” Amy exclaimed in exasperation. “God, Rob! This is clear-cut miscommunication! What’s the worst that can possibly happen by letting him know how you feel?”

Rob shook his head mournfully, sucking his bottom lip in between his teeth. “The worst that can happen is that I lose my best friend. I won’t risk that.”

Amy ducked her head down with a sigh, brushing back her fringe. “The thing is, Rob, you’re already losing him. You’re indirectly pushing him away from you and toward other people. The only thing that’ll come out of that is a bunch of what-ifs and unhappiness. That, to me, seems like the worst possible thing that could happen.”

Without another word, Amy rose from the bed and left the room. Rob blinked, mind reeling from the brief discussion.

Maybe… Is it possible…?

Rob blinked again and released a long sigh. Slowly, he slid his guitar off his lap and carefully replaced it back onto its stand. His brain was racing, emotions were warring heavily within his chest, and Rob reclined until he was laying on his bed on the bed, staring hopelessly at the ceiling for answers.

::

Rob awoke with a startled sucked-in breath as a guitar riff exploded near his ear. He spared a second to rapidly scan his surroundings, eventually concluding that he had fallen asleep and his phone was now ringing. His heart calming down from the momentary shock, Rob blinked heavily and felt for his phone. Grabbing it, he cleared his dry throat and squinted at the bright screen.

Richard was calling. Realization crashed down on Ron like a cold wave as he remembered that Richard was supposed to text him about the date. Bracing himself, Rob answered the call.

“Hullo?” he croaked, and winced at the state of his voice.

_“Rob! Hey, um…S-Sorry, did I wake you up or something?”_

Rob frowned and sat up in his bed. “Rich? What’s up, are you alright?”

Despite the cloud of sleep that lingered around the corners of his mind, Rob was alert enough to know that something was wrong with Richard: his voice lacked the enthusiasm of a first date gone well, and he trailed off with a slight tremble at the end of his sentence. Rob listened carefully as a soft inhale sounded over the line, and then Richard sighed.

_“No, no, I’m okay. I’m okay.”_

“Okay,” Rob said, nodding slowly though he certainly was not convinced at Richard’s answer. “How was the date?”

“ _Umm_ ,” Richard drawled absently, and he cleared his throat. Rob refrained from closing his eyes and sighing: another bad one. Forget hating Briana just a little bit; Rob’s disdain for her was welling up sharply in his chest at the implication that she hurt Richard.

“Rich?” Rob muttered when Richard didn’t continue. “Was it bad?”

_“No!”_  Richard suddenly exclaimed, and Rob’s confusion doubled _. “No, it wasn’t – it wasn’t bad. It was a good date. But, uh, she said that… Y’know what, can we meet up? Like over at our spot by the river?”_

Rob blinked in bewilderment, but still found himself nodding as he replied, “Yeah, of course. Right now?”

_“Please?”_

One word, and yet Rob had to swallow back a gasp at how his heart broke from the simple request Richard was making.

“I’ll be right there,” he answered, promise ringing firm in his voice.

_“Okay. Great. Um, see you there.”_

Rob heard the click of Richard hanging up the phone and moved the cell away from his ear, staring at it. He was more awake now than he had been moments before, though now his mind was muddled with concern and confusion and more questions than he could possibly fathom. Worry for his best friend drove Rob to his feet in the next instant, darting into his closet for a thin jacket; dusk was beginning to settle in, and nights were starting to get chillier with the approaching autumn weather.

Ducking out of his room, he jogged down the stairs and into the living room, where his mother was sitting on the couch watching television. She glanced up with a start at the sudden appearance of her son, and she frowned lightly.

“Hey, honey,” she greeted, gesturing toward the kitchen. “You missed dinner.”

“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t realize that I fell asleep,” Rob said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll, I’ll eat soon, but after I come back.”

“Where are you going?” she asked, brows furrowed.

“I’m going to meet with Richard really quick,” Rob said, jutting his thumb backward toward the front door. “He went on a date tonight and he just called me up. I don’t think anything is wrong, but he asked to meet. I’ll be back soon?”

His mother blew out a breath and shook her head, an indulgent smile tugging at her lips. “Alright, Rob. Just make sure you don’t stay out too late, okay?”

“I won’t, thanks mom!” Rob grinned and spun around to run out of the house, grabbing the car keys in his haste.

“Not too late, Rob, I mean it!” his mother called after him. “And be careful!”

“Yes, mom!” he called back right before closing the door.

::

It didn’t take long at all for Rob to arrive at the spot by the river Richard had mentioned. It was a secluded area shaded by a large oak at the riverside, with a wooden bench overlooking the water. Though it was clearly meant for the public, Rob and Richard hadn’t witnessed anyone else occupying it, likely because it was further down the river from the local park, and it became theirs.

As Rob approached the grass plot meant for parking, pulling up right next to Richard’s car, he spotted Richard’s lone form sitting at the bench, staring out into the water. His friend was still, as if he had yet to notice Rob’s arrival. Chewing on his bottom lip, Rob shut the engine off and took in a deep breath.

He spared a moment to appreciate the way the setting sun caressed Richard’s golden hair, the gentle breeze of the approaching night gently rustling the locks. Richard was gorgeous.

Rob climbed out of the car.

“Rich?” he called.

Richard whipped around, eyes widening as he finally noticed Rob. Quickly, he stood up from the bench and came around the back. As Rob stepped up to it, Richard shoved his hands inside his jean pockets and leaned against the edge of the bench.

“Robbie,” he greeted, a nervous smile wavering on his mouth. “Hey. Thanks for, um, thanks for coming.”

“Rich, are you seriously okay?” Rob murmured, reaching out to lay his hands on Richard’s shoulders.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Richard said hurriedly. He took his hands out of his pockets and caught Rob’s wrists, effectively stopping him.

Rob had to choke down the hot flash of hurt that ripped through him at the deflective action, and he nodded, dropping his hands. “Why did you call me out here?”

Richard stared at him for a moment, amber eyes flickering between Rob’s own blue. He pressed his lips together and released a quiet, resigned sigh.

“Okay, the date went well,” Richard began. “It did. We met up at the restaurant, ordered our food, and we were just eating and talking for a bit.”

Rob nodded, swallowing hard. “Right.”

“But at one point, Briana was… she, she was just staring at me with this  _look_  on her face,” Richard continued, running his fingers through his fringe to brush it back. “So I asked her if everything was okay, and it was! She said it was, but…”

Here, Richard paused again.

“But what?” Rob coaxed gently, struggling on holding back from reaching out comfort Richard.

Richard straightened up, jaw set tight. “Robbie, I’m going to ask you something. I just, I need you to be a thousand percent honest with me here, okay?”

Rob was caught off guard from the abrupt change of subject, and he was honestly starting to get a little scared from Richard’s elusive demeanor. He nodded regardless, eyebrows furrowing together. “Rich, what  _is_  it?”

Richard licked his lips, tensed, and asked, “Do you have feelings for me?”

Rob froze. The question registered in his mind slowly, and numb horror began to bloom within his chest, spreading thick and cold throughout his veins and seizing the breath in his lungs.

Oh God. Oh God,  _no_.

“ _What_?” Rob breathed.

“Do you have feelings for me, Rob?” Richard repeated, looking more serious and scared than Rob had ever seen him before, and the flitting thought of attempting to brush the question off as a joke completely died in Rob’s mind. This was  _no_  joke, Richard was not being funny, and he was staring at Rob expectantly as he awaited his answer.

Rob swallowed dryly and licked his lips. “Rich, I…”

The rest of the words evaporated in his throat, and he could do nothing more than stare helplessly at his best friend. Richard’s jaw set tight at the lack of answer and he dropped his head, but not before Rob caught sight of the disappointment shining fiercely in Richard’s eyes, and he’s never felt so confused and small and  _horrible_.

“Briana and I were having a good time,” Richard continued, scuffing at the dirt with his shoe. “I was telling her about how you were working on another song, one where I was backing up with vocals and bass, and she was staring at me with this… I don’t know. When I asked her if she was alright, she said she was. But then she said that it wasn’t going to work out between the two of us.”

Rob pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry, man.”

Richard shook his head and looked up at Rob again. “She told me that I was a wonderful guy and a great date, but that… She said that it wouldn’t work out between us because of  _you_.”

Rob barely stopped himself from physically recoiling in his shock. Barely. “M-Me?”

Richard nodded, regarding Rob with a thoughtful expression. “I think it was because I was talking about you that… Briana has been a friend of ours long enough, and she’s noticed a few things.”

All the breath in Rob’s lungs left him in a noiseless gasp. This was it. He had somehow given himself away, and now Richard knew how he felt about him. Oh God, that’s what Richard brought him out here to do; he was going to let Rob down gently, maybe even ask that they severe their ties as friends so that Richard could find success in dating with people he actually wanted to be with, because there was no way someone as incredible as Richard would want someone like Rob—

“Mostly,” Richard continued, his voice cutting through Rob’s racing thoughts, “she noticed that it wasn’t her I wanted. It was you.”

Rob gaped at Richard, the anxiety of the night slowly melting into shock, and his eyes widened. “You…  _what_?”

Richard drew his bottom lip in between his teeth and nodded stiffly. He shoved his hands inside his pockets and hunched his shoulders inwards, as if defending himself from Rob’s reaction.

“I spent such a long time  _lying_ ,” Richard said quietly. “Lying to the people I’ve dated, lying to you, and lying to myself. I-I know that I date a lot; I know that no one has ever worked out for me long-term. And I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but a large part of the reason why all my dates and attempts at relationships failed was because… because maybe I  _wanted_  them to.”

“Rich,“ Rob breathed, still reeling from the first revelation, overwhelmed by what he was hearing now.

“I wanted them to because they don’t hold a candle to the one I really want, which is  _you_!” Richard rushed, his already shaky confidence wavering even further, and his voice began to tremble as he stammered on, “But you’re  _you_. You’re my best friend, and you’re so amazing and talented and smart and gorgeous, and I don’t have a chance in Hell with you. So I-I dated other people to try and get over you, and to get over the fact that I’ve had feelings for you for the  _longest_   _time_.”

Rob blinked slowly. This couldn’t be real. This could not be  _real_ ; he had to be back home, not yet awake from the unintentional nap he had taken earlier that afternoon. He tried to pinch himself, but he couldn’t move his arms.

Richard blew out a hard breath and leaned his full weight against the back of the bench. “I tried to deny it, but Briana wouldn’t have it, and eventually… I stopped. I stopped denying it. We ended up leaving the restaurant and taking a walk around town, talking. We talked about a lot of stuff, about me, and about my, my feelings for you. We talked about why I hadn’t told you yet, and I-I told her just like I told you: you’re fucking amazing and you couldn’t have felt the same way about me, and I didn’t want to lose you.”

_But I do feel the same. I do! You won’t lose me!_ Rob’s mind bellowed the words, but his broken voice refused to release them.

“And then Briana told me something else. She said, she said that there was a chance, a chance that you felt the same way about me. That I wouldn’t know unless I asked you, but that she was pretty sure that you…”

Rob jerked out of his frozen stance, his next breath punching out of him.

“So I just, I just wanted to ask,” Richard said, attempting for a smile; it shook into a grimace. “I  _need_  to ask again, Robbie… do you have any feelings for me, at all?”

Emotions warred within Rob’s chest as Richard finished; gone was the horrendous feeling of unrequited love, the agony of knowing that Richard would never feel for him the same way, replaced instead by an overwhelming rush of  _joy_. Richard had feelings for him. Richard wanted him, and has apparently wanted him for a really long time. Rob wanted to smile so badly, but the shock and bliss of Richard’s confession locked his muscles in place.  

Richard had feelings for him. For  _him_!

But suddenly these euphoric thoughts came to a grinding halt as Rob watched Richard’s face crumble, his lower lip wobbling the slightest bit before Richard bit down on it with a firm nod and ducked his head. Rob internally floundered; he had taken too long in responding, and Richard thought he was rejecting him.

“It’s okay that you don’t,” Richard whispered, though the thick despair choking through his voice made it perfectly clear that he was anything but. “It really is. I just… I’m sorry, Robbie. God, I’m really sorry.“

Richard pushed himself away from the bench and wrapped his arms tight around his torso, his movements stiff and jerky. Rob flinched at the movement, and he was finally able to move forward as at the sight of fresh tears gleaming in Richard’s averted eyes.

“Stop,” Rob hissed, hands shooting up to grab onto Richard’s shoulders. “Wait!”

Richard’s head snapped up, his eyes wide and wet. Rob lightly shook his head, declining Richard’s false interpretation of his silence.

“God, Rich, you…” Rob inhaled sharply, cutting himself off.

Then, in a move of desperation, he lurched forward that last bit of space and captured Richard’s lips in a hard kiss.

Richard made a soft noise of surprise against Rob’s lips, but the next moment he was instantly on Rob with a sobbing breath, wrenching his arms away from his own torso to wrap around Rob’s waist, yanking him closer. Rob gasped, his hands sliding to cup the back of Richard’s skull and his fingers curling into the strands of Richard’s golden hair. Shivering, he licked into Richard’s mouth and felt a fresh jolt of ecstasy as Richard parted his lips with a broken moan.

Their kiss was messy, and their lips were slightly slick from salty tears that had slipped involuntarily down Richard’s cheeks, but Rob melted into it with a quivering sigh. He was kissing his best friend. He was kissing  _Richard_ , and Richard wanted him, and had feelings for him, and was kissing him back with such fervor and intensity that Rob felt the delight from it down to the tips of his toes.

After a moment, Rob hesitantly broke the kiss but kept close, pressing his forehead to Richard’s brow. Panting out quaking breaths, Richard tightened his arms around Rob’s waist, gaping openly at him. Rob huffed out a laugh and felt his face practically split in half with the force of his grin.

“I’m sorry, but… Shit, you have no idea how long I’ve…” Rob broke off here, his throat convulsing with another gleeful laugh.

He brought his hands back to cup Richard’s face, his thumbs tenderly stroking along his cheekbones to wipe away the trail of tears left behind, and he bumped his nose happily against Richard’s.

“Fuck, Rich, I’ve  _always_  wanted you, and I’ve had feelings for you for such a long time. But you were dating other people, and I just thought you didn’t want me in that way—”

Richard’s face went slack with gradual realization, and his fingers tightened on the back of Rob’s jacket. “You…  _really_?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Rob breathed.

“Oh God,” Richard said, his voice wrecked and sorrowful even as a slow grin began to form on his face, “Robbie, I didn’t, I didn’t know, or I never would have—“

“Shut up,” Rob murmured, kissing Richard firm and short, a thick cloud of ecstasy and bliss flooding his mind at the notion that he can do that whenever he wants now. “I know now. You know now. Fuck, Rich, you’re my  _best friend_. How could I not want you?”

Richard’s shoulders hitched with a hard breath, his lips trembling into a watery smile. “I’m a goddamn idiot, aren’t I?”

“That’s debatable,” Rob joked, pressing closer to Richard’s warmth. “Can you please just fucking kiss me again?”

The words barely had a chance to leave his mouth before Richard enthusiastically obliged, his arms tightening around Rob’s torso with a small groan. Rob huffed out a flustered laugh and kissed Richard back, fingers curling around Richard’s jawline and pulling him closer, and kissing him again, and again, and again.


End file.
